Here is that perfect holiday gift.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Exchange 2010 Has Arrived
Well today Exchange 2010 was made available to the world.
I am trying to download (at this time I'm stuck at the 92% mark and it's not budging). I'd like to get it up and running in a vm test environment. Were looking at a full deployment as a vm(s) in the next month or so. A lot of new features that I'm excited to learn about, particularly archiving.
Read more about it here -
http://msexchangeteam.com/
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd298136%28EXCHG.140%29.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/default.aspx
I am trying to download (at this time I'm stuck at the 92% mark and it's not budging). I'd like to get it up and running in a vm test environment. Were looking at a full deployment as a vm(s) in the next month or so. A lot of new features that I'm excited to learn about, particularly archiving.
Read more about it here -
http://msexchangeteam.com/
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd298136%28EXCHG.140%29.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/default.aspx
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Equallogic Replication
I had posted this question on the EqualLogic Customers Facebook page.
Just curious how anyone is handling Exchange/SQL replication offsite? Do you have separate schedules for db's and logs or replicating everything at once?
I'm not a SQL/Exchange expert but thinking it may be better to replicate database files say every hour, then logs every 5-10 minutes. Thoughts?
I'm staggering my replication so that different collection groups aren't bumping heads.
...and I have 50mb between sites.
Just curious how anyone is handling Exchange/SQL replication offsite? Do you have separate schedules for db's and logs or replicating everything at once?
I'm not a SQL/Exchange expert but thinking it may be better to replicate database files say every hour, then logs every 5-10 minutes. Thoughts?
I'm staggering my replication so that different collection groups aren't bumping heads.
...and I have 50mb between sites.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Dell EqualLogic Firmware 4.2.1
I made the jump to the new EqualLogic/Dell firmware this past Monday to 4.2.1. I was previously on 3.3.3. The upgrade path I chose was first applying the 3.3.3 L2 patch then firmware releases 4.0.7 > 4.1.5 > 4.2.1 all from the CLI. The upgrade went smoothly without any problems - YAY! A reboot was required on each release. The 3.3.3 L2 patch did not require a reboot.
According to Dell -
The EqualLogic PS Series Firmware Version V4.2.1 is supported on all storage array platforms. This release is a new feature release of the 4.2 version of the software and adds the following new features:
• Preemptive drive replacement
• RAID reconstruction performance improvements
• Improved support for solid-state drives (SSDs)
• Support for 16-member groups
According to Dell -
The EqualLogic PS Series Firmware Version V4.2.1 is supported on all storage array platforms. This release is a new feature release of the 4.2 version of the software and adds the following new features:
• Preemptive drive replacement
• RAID reconstruction performance improvements
• Improved support for solid-state drives (SSDs)
• Support for 16-member groups
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
VMware - "OS Not Found"
I had a problem this morning with a P2V conversion but I was able to resolve - surprisingly without spending hours on it or deleting my new vm.
Anyhow - I did a P2V conversion of a Windows 2000 Standard Server, upon boot up it immediately tried to do a PXE boot and failed with "Operating System Not Found". I forced it to boot into the BIOS and verified my boot order - all looked good, so I booted again..same message.
The fix - well the vm picked up two drives upon conversion(a system partition?) I recall selecting all the system drives during the setup so, I simply changed the order of the drives in the BIOS and the VM booted right up. This could have easily driven me crazy all day but really glad changing the drive order was able to get me into the OS.
Anyhow - I did a P2V conversion of a Windows 2000 Standard Server, upon boot up it immediately tried to do a PXE boot and failed with "Operating System Not Found". I forced it to boot into the BIOS and verified my boot order - all looked good, so I booted again..same message.
The fix - well the vm picked up two drives upon conversion(a system partition?) I recall selecting all the system drives during the setup so, I simply changed the order of the drives in the BIOS and the VM booted right up. This could have easily driven me crazy all day but really glad changing the drive order was able to get me into the OS.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Dual Monitors
Ha..someone sent this to me today and I see it's also all over the web..so one more posting can't hurt.
It's funny because well, dual monitors are being given to lots of people where I work. And as I agree that productivity does increase..you have to wonder?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wal-Mart best symbolizes America, a new poll finds - Yahoo! News
I'm not a fan of polls but really, seriously? I need to leave the country, possibly for good this time. America, you've done it now! I've ventured to a local Wal-Mart in my hometown and it isn't pretty. I think I would have preferred atleast Target. Ugh.
Wal-Mart best symbolizes America, a new poll finds - Yahoo! News
Wal-Mart best symbolizes America, a new poll finds - Yahoo! News
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
ATM Machine Technology
I don't know much about ATM's but what I do know is that NCR ATM's take 20 minutes to reboot!!! What the hell? I guess that's what happens when they (some/all?) run Windows XP!
Visa DPS has a maintenance window, ATM's don't come back up and to quote the VISA DPS Technician, "their finicky". Great to know! Happy Tuesday everyone.
Visa DPS has a maintenance window, ATM's don't come back up and to quote the VISA DPS Technician, "their finicky". Great to know! Happy Tuesday everyone.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Secret of NIMH Remake
Reuters is reporting that a new film version of "Rats of NIMH" is in the works. For those not familiar with the original "Secret of NIMH"..well click the link.
I was 7 when this move was released. I don't recall seeing at the theater but I do recall watching it and being the first animated movie that gave me the spooks a bit. To me, it was dark and moody and although I'm not sure I actually "got" what it was entirely about, I loved it. I've watched it since then and when I finally understood what NIMH really was and the real story and connection between the rats, I was amazed. Anyhow, I purchased the dvd for my daughter since then and we've watched it together when she was a child (now 14).
Don't know where I'm going with this..I guess I'm not entirely sure I'd want to see a remake of this but curious none the less. Great movie with a good story if you've never seen it.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
King of Corals
Hey.. for all your fish coral'ing needs.
kingofcorals.com
SPECIAL NOTE:
FOR ANY CUSTOMERS MAKING THEIR FIRST PURCHASE, TYPE IN "NEW" AT CHECKOUT TO GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST CORAL ORDER!!!
-Everything is WYSIWYG!!!
-All frags are healed over and are supplied from various propagating facilities around the country!!
-Free shipping on all drygoods!!!
-New corals updated weekly!!! So don't forget to check back.
www.kingofcorals.com
kingofcorals.com
SPECIAL NOTE:
FOR ANY CUSTOMERS MAKING THEIR FIRST PURCHASE, TYPE IN "NEW" AT CHECKOUT TO GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST CORAL ORDER!!!
-Everything is WYSIWYG!!!
-All frags are healed over and are supplied from various propagating facilities around the country!!
-Free shipping on all drygoods!!!
-New corals updated weekly!!! So don't forget to check back.
www.kingofcorals.com
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
IT Consolidation with VMware and Dell Equallogic iSCSI SANs a Fully Virtualized IT Environment - Simple to Deploy, Manage and Grow, from Dell - White Papers, Webcasts and Case Studies - TechRepublic
IT Consolidation with VMware and Dell Equallogic iSCSI SANs a Fully Virtualized IT Environment - Simple to Deploy, Manage and Grow, from Dell - White Papers, Webcasts and Case Studies - TechRepublic
Dell EqualLogic PS Series virtualized iSCSI storage area network (SAN) provides a cost-effective, enterprise-class storage solution ideally suited for virtualized infrastructures.
Dell EqualLogic PS Series virtualized iSCSI storage area network (SAN) provides a cost-effective, enterprise-class storage solution ideally suited for virtualized infrastructures.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition Deployment Guide
Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition Deployment Guide
Just some guides on deploying OCS 2007. MS has some good links which I've sampled one here for your reading pleasure. I'm getting ready to jump knee deep into a deployment consistng of an Exchange 03-07 migration, OCS 2007 implementation, and new Cisco Call Managers. First real meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Should be fun.
Just some guides on deploying OCS 2007. MS has some good links which I've sampled one here for your reading pleasure. I'm getting ready to jump knee deep into a deployment consistng of an Exchange 03-07 migration, OCS 2007 implementation, and new Cisco Call Managers. First real meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Should be fun.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
BankerSpank
Check out BankerSpank
I stumbled across this site today. If you like the MAC/PC ad's you will get a kick out of these. Go Credit Unions! I think my favorite is the "Money to Blow".
I stumbled across this site today. If you like the MAC/PC ad's you will get a kick out of these. Go Credit Unions! I think my favorite is the "Money to Blow".
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
OMG
WTF?
"EARLY salary figures from Simon Cowell's "American Idol" contract negotiations are leaking out and they're eye-popping.
Cowell, who reportedly made $36 million last year for judging the hit competition show, has been offered three or four times that amount -- between $100 million and $144 million per year -- by co-producers Fox and 19 Entertainment to stick with "Idol" when his contract expires next May, according to The Guardian, a London newpaper."
"EARLY salary figures from Simon Cowell's "American Idol" contract negotiations are leaking out and they're eye-popping.
Cowell, who reportedly made $36 million last year for judging the hit competition show, has been offered three or four times that amount -- between $100 million and $144 million per year -- by co-producers Fox and 19 Entertainment to stick with "Idol" when his contract expires next May, according to The Guardian, a London newpaper."
Monday, June 29, 2009
Energy Drinks
If your into energy drinks and that kinda thing - I am sometimes..like now. Well then for maximum affect, drink them on an empty stomach. That seems to work well for me. Why? - fast absorption into your body.
My fav's are the sugar free..Rockstar and Red Bull.
Just a note..and always remember to recycle.
My fav's are the sugar free..Rockstar and Red Bull.
Just a note..and always remember to recycle.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Equallogic Discounts
Dell is offering substantial discounts on all of the PS5000 arrays...30-40%
discounts...BUT they are limited on quantity. This would be a good time to
purchase excellent storage at a great cost. Check with your local reseller!
discounts...BUT they are limited on quantity. This would be a good time to
purchase excellent storage at a great cost. Check with your local reseller!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I got snipped today
twenty minutes on...twenty minutes off. The frozen peas work..and they feel good. Yep..I got snipped...the medical term, Vasectomy. The time leading up to my appointment today was a bit hectic and the nervousness set in.
I had a young male doctor..someone with a steady hand (don't need an "oops"). The procedure took about 30 minutes and consisted of a local anesthetic aka..needle to the scrote.. it stung a bit..kind of like a bee sting for a second. The doctor made one small incision, clipped two small coffee stirer like tubes and cauterized the ends.
About an hour before the visit, I took a Valium that was prescribed during my initial consultation. It kicked in about 15 minutes before the procedure. I initially imagined being put on a table, my legs up in the air, several doctors and bright lights....you get the picture. But, I was just lying on a table..once the procedure began, all I felt was some tugging and pulling.
It's been several hours...I feel ok, feels like I'm an constantly being flicked in the nad's...this is where the peas and the Lortab help.
So....if you're thinking about getting this done..it's not so bad..so far. I'm interested in how I will feel on day two..and I will be sure to follow up and let you know.
The doctors at Anne Arundel Urology were great. I had Dr. Krejci.
I had a young male doctor..someone with a steady hand (don't need an "oops"). The procedure took about 30 minutes and consisted of a local anesthetic aka..needle to the scrote.. it stung a bit..kind of like a bee sting for a second. The doctor made one small incision, clipped two small coffee stirer like tubes and cauterized the ends.
About an hour before the visit, I took a Valium that was prescribed during my initial consultation. It kicked in about 15 minutes before the procedure. I initially imagined being put on a table, my legs up in the air, several doctors and bright lights....you get the picture. But, I was just lying on a table..once the procedure began, all I felt was some tugging and pulling.
It's been several hours...I feel ok, feels like I'm an constantly being flicked in the nad's...this is where the peas and the Lortab help.
So....if you're thinking about getting this done..it's not so bad..so far. I'm interested in how I will feel on day two..and I will be sure to follow up and let you know.
The doctors at Anne Arundel Urology were great. I had Dr. Krejci.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
VMware...It's a no-brainer.
It's been several months now and I just wanted to give a quick update on my VMware project.
The plan was to initially review the 50-60 physical machines in production and select the likely candidates for virtualization. The results have been great. We have approximately 40 virtual machines, some of which are completely new machines.
In my opinion, the project was a no-brainer. Server racks are empty, lot's of cabling has been pulled, electrical outlets unplugged and hell, our data center looks sharp. But the benefits don't stop there. Servers that I wouldn't fathom recovering because of out of date documentation, vendor support, various s/w configuration changes are a thing of the past. Now..just recover from a snapshot.
VMware has made upgrades to existing systems a lot easier. If we don't get something right the first time...roll back the snapshot and do it again. This worked perfectly for upgrading SQL 2000 to 2005. Oh yeah...SQL 2005 is virtualized and so is Exchange 2003 Enterprise - a benefit for help migrating to 2007. How is this possible? Well, I clone my servers, stick them in a seperate switch with no attached interfaces and practice my migrations over and over again if needed. I was even able to make our developers happy..OMG!! They have their own private virtual network with copies of production servers and free reign without interference with our public/production network.
And of course I make this all sound like a box O' chocolates...a lot of careful planning and considerations went into this. BUT...the benefits are great, these were just a few.
The plan was to initially review the 50-60 physical machines in production and select the likely candidates for virtualization. The results have been great. We have approximately 40 virtual machines, some of which are completely new machines.
In my opinion, the project was a no-brainer. Server racks are empty, lot's of cabling has been pulled, electrical outlets unplugged and hell, our data center looks sharp. But the benefits don't stop there. Servers that I wouldn't fathom recovering because of out of date documentation, vendor support, various s/w configuration changes are a thing of the past. Now..just recover from a snapshot.
VMware has made upgrades to existing systems a lot easier. If we don't get something right the first time...roll back the snapshot and do it again. This worked perfectly for upgrading SQL 2000 to 2005. Oh yeah...SQL 2005 is virtualized and so is Exchange 2003 Enterprise - a benefit for help migrating to 2007. How is this possible? Well, I clone my servers, stick them in a seperate switch with no attached interfaces and practice my migrations over and over again if needed. I was even able to make our developers happy..OMG!! They have their own private virtual network with copies of production servers and free reign without interference with our public/production network.
And of course I make this all sound like a box O' chocolates...a lot of careful planning and considerations went into this. BUT...the benefits are great, these were just a few.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
VMware U4
I just installed Update 4 on my VMware ESX hosts. I tried using Update Manager but that didn't pan out to well..not sure why. Since I was limited on time I went with the old fashioned way and burned the ISO's to disk and booted off of that. The update was easy and straight forward. I was previously on Update 2. I was reading some horror stories about the update but all went as planned.
All my vm's needed to be upgraded to the latest VMware Tools..which required a reboot. That was the only drawback but it was quick, painless and during a maintenance window so no worries.
After the update I did use Update Manager to install several patches after the U4 install.
Good luck if you still haven't updated..make sure to read the release notes.
All my vm's needed to be upgraded to the latest VMware Tools..which required a reboot. That was the only drawback but it was quick, painless and during a maintenance window so no worries.
After the update I did use Update Manager to install several patches after the U4 install.
Good luck if you still haven't updated..make sure to read the release notes.
Remember When
I posted this on a forum..wanted to share. It's important..haha.
I played in a goofy band in 93-94 with some friends right out of high school. We covered a lot of Pearl Jam. At one show we played 'Daughter' but it was learned from a bad tape someone had given us a copy, of a copy..before VS was released. We thought we were the shit..here's a new Pearl Jam for everyone..really. But we fuck'd it up and that was that.
The Internet has brought some great video's to light from all over. Particularly, songs/videos from bootlegs that I would pay $40 for at Record and Tape Traders. Every weekend was a another trip to that place to see what was in. CD's mostly, stuff from Den Haag(sp?)..'Saying No."..."Pearl Jam Covering Themselves"..eventually Record and Tape traders got busted for selling bootlegs and that was it. Near the last thing I probably got was the Atlanta show. The first time I heard that was rushing home from Blockbuster where I worked at the time so I could tape it. A few days later seeing them for the first time in VA.
Anyhow I was browsing threw the hordes of video's on Youtube tonight and I watched a video and more videos of a show that I have on tape that I had always wished I could see in some way from 91-92.
Gone mostly are the days of having something special that you thought no one else had. Remember the days of rooting down a live version of "Angel"?
It's a good thing though right? Now I don't have time to do any of that searching..thankfully it's a bit easier and with a wife and three kids now..oh and a friggin dog..time flies. My love for Pearl Jam reminds me of how old I am.
I don't know if there was any point to this but I guess if your a bit over thirty then you can relate to some of this. Just wanted to give everyone a group "wow".. We've made it this far.
I played in a goofy band in 93-94 with some friends right out of high school. We covered a lot of Pearl Jam. At one show we played 'Daughter' but it was learned from a bad tape someone had given us a copy, of a copy..before VS was released. We thought we were the shit..here's a new Pearl Jam for everyone..really. But we fuck'd it up and that was that.
The Internet has brought some great video's to light from all over. Particularly, songs/videos from bootlegs that I would pay $40 for at Record and Tape Traders. Every weekend was a another trip to that place to see what was in. CD's mostly, stuff from Den Haag(sp?)..'Saying No."..."Pearl Jam Covering Themselves"..eventually Record and Tape traders got busted for selling bootlegs and that was it. Near the last thing I probably got was the Atlanta show. The first time I heard that was rushing home from Blockbuster where I worked at the time so I could tape it. A few days later seeing them for the first time in VA.
Anyhow I was browsing threw the hordes of video's on Youtube tonight and I watched a video and more videos of a show that I have on tape that I had always wished I could see in some way from 91-92.
Gone mostly are the days of having something special that you thought no one else had. Remember the days of rooting down a live version of "Angel"?
It's a good thing though right? Now I don't have time to do any of that searching..thankfully it's a bit easier and with a wife and three kids now..oh and a friggin dog..time flies. My love for Pearl Jam reminds me of how old I am.
I don't know if there was any point to this but I guess if your a bit over thirty then you can relate to some of this. Just wanted to give everyone a group "wow".. We've made it this far.
Pearl Jam on "The Tonight Show"
From PearlJam.COM
"Pearl Jam is scheduled to appear as the inaugural musical guest for the June 1, 2009 premiere of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien.” The band will perform songs from their upcoming studio album.
Conan O'Brien, the dominant late-night host at 12:35 a.m. (ET) for the past 14 seasons, will succeed Jay Leno as host of the preeminent series on late-night television, NBC's "The Tonight Show," on June 1, 2009.
Please check local listings for air details."
"Pearl Jam is scheduled to appear as the inaugural musical guest for the June 1, 2009 premiere of “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien.” The band will perform songs from their upcoming studio album.
Conan O'Brien, the dominant late-night host at 12:35 a.m. (ET) for the past 14 seasons, will succeed Jay Leno as host of the preeminent series on late-night television, NBC's "The Tonight Show," on June 1, 2009.
Please check local listings for air details."
Just Got Glasses
So I just glasses. After a delayed response of finally acknowledging the fact..my eyes are bad.
This started with me getting an eye exam after I noticed pain in my left eye which felt like a severe headache in my eye. A visit to the eye doctor turned into learning I had Iritis. After some eye steroids/drops the Iritis cleared up and it was back for a normal exam. So now the doctor tells me I have a stigmata..I mean, a astigmatism. ; ) Next stop, LensCrafters.
I tried on about 100 different pairs of glasses and my wife and I finally agreed on a pair that we both liked. I told her she had to come with me since she's the one that has to look at me all the time. Although the doctor told me I just needed to wear them while driving or at a football game etc..I've decided to wear them to work or anytime I'm sitting behind a screen. Contacts were out of the question..I did a brief stint with those..not my thing.
WOW...I can see. It's like I've been living with blinders on the past several years. Unfriggin-believable. My ride to work the other day was as if I'd never driven down Rt 3. Everyone got better looking (ugh, some got worse)and my Call of Duty play may even pick up a bit.
My daughter immediately called me a nerd..four eyes, co-workers think I look intelligent and my wife thinks I'm cute. Finally. I'm just glad my HD looks a lot better now.
This started with me getting an eye exam after I noticed pain in my left eye which felt like a severe headache in my eye. A visit to the eye doctor turned into learning I had Iritis. After some eye steroids/drops the Iritis cleared up and it was back for a normal exam. So now the doctor tells me I have a stigmata..I mean, a astigmatism. ; ) Next stop, LensCrafters.
I tried on about 100 different pairs of glasses and my wife and I finally agreed on a pair that we both liked. I told her she had to come with me since she's the one that has to look at me all the time. Although the doctor told me I just needed to wear them while driving or at a football game etc..I've decided to wear them to work or anytime I'm sitting behind a screen. Contacts were out of the question..I did a brief stint with those..not my thing.
WOW...I can see. It's like I've been living with blinders on the past several years. Unfriggin-believable. My ride to work the other day was as if I'd never driven down Rt 3. Everyone got better looking (ugh, some got worse)and my Call of Duty play may even pick up a bit.
My daughter immediately called me a nerd..four eyes, co-workers think I look intelligent and my wife thinks I'm cute. Finally. I'm just glad my HD looks a lot better now.
Windows File Sharing
I thought this was a good article. All Windows Admins should read this.
http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2005/04/13/windows-file-sharing-facing-the-mystery/
For one reason or another, there is quite a bit of confusion surrounding the technologies that allow File Sharing to take place on a Windows machine. The hodgepodge of terms ranging from NetBIOS, NBT, and SMB serve to confuse not only junior admins, but many more experienced professionals, as well. We’ve all been there when a newcomer to IT has asked difficult questions like, “If I disable x, but leave y, will I still be able to do z?” Most times the professional being asked will try and either change the subject or exit the room as quickly as possible so as to avoid showing their ignorance.
Of course, nearly everyone is familiar with one main concept - the well-worn and widely known view that Windows file sharing services are potentially very dangerous. Steve Gibson and his Web site can be credited mostly for this becoming largely common knowledge. Unfortunately, however, the fact that “it’s bad” is about the extent of most people’s knowledge of the subject. As a friendly test, see if you know the answers to the questions below:
* What’s the difference between using Windows 9x and Windows 2000/XP file sharing?
* Which port(s) handle(s) file transfers on Windows 2000/XP systems?
* Does Windows XP use NetBIOS to transfer files?
* If you disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on a 2000/XP box, can people still connect to your shares?
* What happens if you block access to port TCP/139 on an XP machine?
These should be simple questions for anyone who deals with Windows in an administrator role, but unfortunately they are not. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that less than a quarter of Windows admins can confidently answer all five questions. In this short article, I intend to get readers up to speed on the basics of this highly critical area of knowledge. Often times, knowing the how and why makes all the difference when it comes to making sound security decisions.
Windows 9x - The Old Way
As with many disciplines, the best way to start is with a bit of history. Before going into how file sharing is handled on the current generation of Windows operating systems, let’s take a look at how it was handled previously.
NetBIOS
The beginning starts with a protocol called NetBIOS. Originally pushed by IBM, it was put together for the purpose of sharing information between a very limited number of machines on a LAN. Early on, NetBIOS ran on a number of protocols, to include DECnet, and it’s important to note that it was not designed to scale to large organizations. Unfortunately, once Microsoft released its products based on it, and computers became a crucial part of the business world, NetBIOS became the backbone of file sharing on business networks everywhere.
In Windows 9x (Windows 95, 98, and ME), the primary ports for sharing resources were 135, 137, 138, and 139. Below we take a look at each:
* TCP/135 - RPC: This port is potentially quite dangerous due to what “RPC” actually stands for. Remote Procedure Calls are requests from one machine to another for service. The RPC service acts as something of a facilitator, or go-between, between the client making the request and the machine being asked for service, i.e. a request is made to this “end-point mapper service” and then a port is allocated dynamically to the service being requested. This is similar to the RPC functionality found in the Unix world, and although it’s not technically a “file sharing” port, it ties heavily into Windows networking in general.
* UDP/137 - NetBIOS Name Service: This port is used to attain name resolution for NetBIOS. Think of it as NetBIOS’s version of DNS or ARP. It’s simply a way to use something you have, make a query, and get something you want in return. For NetBIOS it’s from a NetBIOS name to an IP, for DNS it’s a DNS name to IP, and for ARP it’s from IP to hardware address.
* UDP/138 - NetBIOS Datagram Service: This port primarily allows the SMB browser service to populate the browse lists seen when using “Network Neighborhood”.
* TCP/139 - NetBIOS Session Service: This is perhaps the most known Windows port of all, as it is used to transfer files over TCP. This is both the port that NULL Sessions are established over and the port that file and printer sharing takes place on. If you are considering restricting access to ports on your Windows machine, this one needs to be on the top of the list.
NetBIOS was benign enough initially because they were bound to a protocol called Netbeui. NetBIOS was somewhat harmless when it ran over Netbeui because the protocol is limited to local networks. It couldn’t cross routers, and therefore couldn’t cross the Internet. For this reason, any problems associated with file sharing while running Netbeui were relatively limited.
NetBIOS over TCP/IP
This all changed when Microsoft started binding NetBIOS to TCP/IP - a system referred to as NBT. What this did was take a potentially dangerous but hobbled system (NetBIOS) and gave it wings. Now, instead of just having to worry about someone in the next cube gaining information about your system and/or connecting to your file shares, you now have to worry about someone in New Jersey, Russia, or China doing the same thing.
Essentially, if the interface that connected you to the Internet had both TCP/IP and File and Print sharing on it, and you didn’t have a decent password configured, you were in line to get scanned and pillaged at will by anyone on the Internet.
File and Print Sharing
Okay, so what’s File and Print Sharing? Where does that fit in? Good question. File and Print Sharing is little more than a service that enables file/folder and print shares to be made available to clients. It’s that simple. Think of it as a daemon that runs on a machine - similar to a web or mail server.
Remember, daemons aren’t useful unless requests can make it to them. That’s where SMB over TCP (or in the 9x world - NetBIOS over Netbeui or TCP/IP) come in. They are the means of getting requests over the network to the “server” machine, i.e. the box that has a folder or a printer shared out.
Basically, two things are needed in order for there to be a successful file transfer, 1) a transport allowing a client to make it to the machine in question, and 2) the machine to be listening for requests while it has shares available. It’s important to understand these two pieces of the puzzle and where each technology fits.
Countermeasures
Steve Gibson’s site, while quite informative, sensationalized the risk to some degree. All one needed to do to keep from sharing files over the Internet is unbind File and Print sharing from the TCP/IP protocol within network properties for the adapter that faces the outside. This simple step eliminates the threat of people trivially mapping your shared drives from across the world.
Also, the bits about disabling the Client For Microsoft Networks and such were simply over the top. Aptly enough, the “Client For Microsoft Networks” is nothing more than a client (hence the name). Disabling it had nothing to do with whether or not the server portion of File Sharing (File and Print Sharing) was enabled.
Windows 2000/XP - The New Way
For most of us, Windows 9x is thankfully ancient history. The vast majority of us deal with Windows 2000 and XP these days, and the way these versions of Windows handle File Sharing is significantly different.
First off, the big difference that many notice is the use of port TCP/445 vs. the ports in the 130 range. This change was part of a new Microsoft paradigm designed to eliminate the dependency on NetBIOS. In fact, one can completely disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on a Windows 2000/XP machine since these new operating systems (via TCP/445) have SMB riding directly on top of TCP rather than on NetBIOS. Microsoft calls this the “direct hosting” of SMB. This enhancement allowed for a few benefits, such as less clutter in the protocol stack, a lack of NetBIOS broadcasts, and the ability standardize on DNS entirely for name resolution.
As can be expected, the functions taken care of by ports 137-139 when NetBIOS was used are now taken care of by the single port 445. This means that this port needs to be given the same attention that the NetBIOS ports were given in the past.
Old vs. New
When connecting to a Windows 2000/XP machine that has both NetBIOS over TCP and direct hosting enabled (from a client machine that’s also using them), both types of connectivity will be attempted. The service responding first will be accepted and continued, i.e. if NetBIOS responds first then an RST will be sent to TCP/445, and vice versa.
Summary
Okay, now that we’ve covered a few different topics here, let’s touch on some key points:
* File and Print Sharing is a completely different beast than NetBIOS or NetBIOS over TCP/IP. To be clear, you can disable the latter and still use the former if you have it bound to a protocol such as Netbeui. If you disable File and Print Sharing, however, then it doesn’t matter what transport gets you to the box, you still won’t be able to access shares on it.
* Windows 9x used NetBIOS (via ports 137, 138, and 139) to resolve resource names and facilitate connecting to them - whether that was via the local network only (Netbeui) or WAN-wide (NBT).
* Windows 2000/XP supports the NetBIOS system as well, but prefers the new method which uses TCP/445 to implement SMB directly over TCP. You can disable NBT for these platforms and still maintain virtually identical functionality using this “direct hosting” paradigm.
* One of the major advantages of going to the “direct
hosting” system instead of NetBIOS is the standardization on DNS for name resolution. Resolving resource names using NetBIOS names was chatty (broadcast-based) and lacked scalability. DNS is a universally accepted, hierarchical standard that scales all the way to networks the size of the Internet.
* Due to the consolidation of many of the NetBIOS functions into a single port (445), this port is critical to many Windows 2000/XP operations. It’s imperative that access to this port is limited to trusted hosts and/or networks.
Well, that about sums it up. The goal here was to either refresh or bring up to speed anyone who deals with Windows networking on a daily basis. In the event that I’ve made an error, or you’d just like to comment, please feel free to contact me at daniel@dmiessler.com.
[Daniel Miessler, CISSP, GSEC]
http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2005/04/13/windows-file-sharing-facing-the-mystery/
For one reason or another, there is quite a bit of confusion surrounding the technologies that allow File Sharing to take place on a Windows machine. The hodgepodge of terms ranging from NetBIOS, NBT, and SMB serve to confuse not only junior admins, but many more experienced professionals, as well. We’ve all been there when a newcomer to IT has asked difficult questions like, “If I disable x, but leave y, will I still be able to do z?” Most times the professional being asked will try and either change the subject or exit the room as quickly as possible so as to avoid showing their ignorance.
Of course, nearly everyone is familiar with one main concept - the well-worn and widely known view that Windows file sharing services are potentially very dangerous. Steve Gibson and his Web site can be credited mostly for this becoming largely common knowledge. Unfortunately, however, the fact that “it’s bad” is about the extent of most people’s knowledge of the subject. As a friendly test, see if you know the answers to the questions below:
* What’s the difference between using Windows 9x and Windows 2000/XP file sharing?
* Which port(s) handle(s) file transfers on Windows 2000/XP systems?
* Does Windows XP use NetBIOS to transfer files?
* If you disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on a 2000/XP box, can people still connect to your shares?
* What happens if you block access to port TCP/139 on an XP machine?
These should be simple questions for anyone who deals with Windows in an administrator role, but unfortunately they are not. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that less than a quarter of Windows admins can confidently answer all five questions. In this short article, I intend to get readers up to speed on the basics of this highly critical area of knowledge. Often times, knowing the how and why makes all the difference when it comes to making sound security decisions.
Windows 9x - The Old Way
As with many disciplines, the best way to start is with a bit of history. Before going into how file sharing is handled on the current generation of Windows operating systems, let’s take a look at how it was handled previously.
NetBIOS
The beginning starts with a protocol called NetBIOS. Originally pushed by IBM, it was put together for the purpose of sharing information between a very limited number of machines on a LAN. Early on, NetBIOS ran on a number of protocols, to include DECnet, and it’s important to note that it was not designed to scale to large organizations. Unfortunately, once Microsoft released its products based on it, and computers became a crucial part of the business world, NetBIOS became the backbone of file sharing on business networks everywhere.
In Windows 9x (Windows 95, 98, and ME), the primary ports for sharing resources were 135, 137, 138, and 139. Below we take a look at each:
* TCP/135 - RPC: This port is potentially quite dangerous due to what “RPC” actually stands for. Remote Procedure Calls are requests from one machine to another for service. The RPC service acts as something of a facilitator, or go-between, between the client making the request and the machine being asked for service, i.e. a request is made to this “end-point mapper service” and then a port is allocated dynamically to the service being requested. This is similar to the RPC functionality found in the Unix world, and although it’s not technically a “file sharing” port, it ties heavily into Windows networking in general.
* UDP/137 - NetBIOS Name Service: This port is used to attain name resolution for NetBIOS. Think of it as NetBIOS’s version of DNS or ARP. It’s simply a way to use something you have, make a query, and get something you want in return. For NetBIOS it’s from a NetBIOS name to an IP, for DNS it’s a DNS name to IP, and for ARP it’s from IP to hardware address.
* UDP/138 - NetBIOS Datagram Service: This port primarily allows the SMB browser service to populate the browse lists seen when using “Network Neighborhood”.
* TCP/139 - NetBIOS Session Service: This is perhaps the most known Windows port of all, as it is used to transfer files over TCP. This is both the port that NULL Sessions are established over and the port that file and printer sharing takes place on. If you are considering restricting access to ports on your Windows machine, this one needs to be on the top of the list.
NetBIOS was benign enough initially because they were bound to a protocol called Netbeui. NetBIOS was somewhat harmless when it ran over Netbeui because the protocol is limited to local networks. It couldn’t cross routers, and therefore couldn’t cross the Internet. For this reason, any problems associated with file sharing while running Netbeui were relatively limited.
NetBIOS over TCP/IP
This all changed when Microsoft started binding NetBIOS to TCP/IP - a system referred to as NBT. What this did was take a potentially dangerous but hobbled system (NetBIOS) and gave it wings. Now, instead of just having to worry about someone in the next cube gaining information about your system and/or connecting to your file shares, you now have to worry about someone in New Jersey, Russia, or China doing the same thing.
Essentially, if the interface that connected you to the Internet had both TCP/IP and File and Print sharing on it, and you didn’t have a decent password configured, you were in line to get scanned and pillaged at will by anyone on the Internet.
File and Print Sharing
Okay, so what’s File and Print Sharing? Where does that fit in? Good question. File and Print Sharing is little more than a service that enables file/folder and print shares to be made available to clients. It’s that simple. Think of it as a daemon that runs on a machine - similar to a web or mail server.
Remember, daemons aren’t useful unless requests can make it to them. That’s where SMB over TCP (or in the 9x world - NetBIOS over Netbeui or TCP/IP) come in. They are the means of getting requests over the network to the “server” machine, i.e. the box that has a folder or a printer shared out.
Basically, two things are needed in order for there to be a successful file transfer, 1) a transport allowing a client to make it to the machine in question, and 2) the machine to be listening for requests while it has shares available. It’s important to understand these two pieces of the puzzle and where each technology fits.
Countermeasures
Steve Gibson’s site, while quite informative, sensationalized the risk to some degree. All one needed to do to keep from sharing files over the Internet is unbind File and Print sharing from the TCP/IP protocol within network properties for the adapter that faces the outside. This simple step eliminates the threat of people trivially mapping your shared drives from across the world.
Also, the bits about disabling the Client For Microsoft Networks and such were simply over the top. Aptly enough, the “Client For Microsoft Networks” is nothing more than a client (hence the name). Disabling it had nothing to do with whether or not the server portion of File Sharing (File and Print Sharing) was enabled.
Windows 2000/XP - The New Way
For most of us, Windows 9x is thankfully ancient history. The vast majority of us deal with Windows 2000 and XP these days, and the way these versions of Windows handle File Sharing is significantly different.
First off, the big difference that many notice is the use of port TCP/445 vs. the ports in the 130 range. This change was part of a new Microsoft paradigm designed to eliminate the dependency on NetBIOS. In fact, one can completely disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on a Windows 2000/XP machine since these new operating systems (via TCP/445) have SMB riding directly on top of TCP rather than on NetBIOS. Microsoft calls this the “direct hosting” of SMB. This enhancement allowed for a few benefits, such as less clutter in the protocol stack, a lack of NetBIOS broadcasts, and the ability standardize on DNS entirely for name resolution.
As can be expected, the functions taken care of by ports 137-139 when NetBIOS was used are now taken care of by the single port 445. This means that this port needs to be given the same attention that the NetBIOS ports were given in the past.
Old vs. New
When connecting to a Windows 2000/XP machine that has both NetBIOS over TCP and direct hosting enabled (from a client machine that’s also using them), both types of connectivity will be attempted. The service responding first will be accepted and continued, i.e. if NetBIOS responds first then an RST will be sent to TCP/445, and vice versa.
Summary
Okay, now that we’ve covered a few different topics here, let’s touch on some key points:
* File and Print Sharing is a completely different beast than NetBIOS or NetBIOS over TCP/IP. To be clear, you can disable the latter and still use the former if you have it bound to a protocol such as Netbeui. If you disable File and Print Sharing, however, then it doesn’t matter what transport gets you to the box, you still won’t be able to access shares on it.
* Windows 9x used NetBIOS (via ports 137, 138, and 139) to resolve resource names and facilitate connecting to them - whether that was via the local network only (Netbeui) or WAN-wide (NBT).
* Windows 2000/XP supports the NetBIOS system as well, but prefers the new method which uses TCP/445 to implement SMB directly over TCP. You can disable NBT for these platforms and still maintain virtually identical functionality using this “direct hosting” paradigm.
* One of the major advantages of going to the “direct
hosting” system instead of NetBIOS is the standardization on DNS for name resolution. Resolving resource names using NetBIOS names was chatty (broadcast-based) and lacked scalability. DNS is a universally accepted, hierarchical standard that scales all the way to networks the size of the Internet.
* Due to the consolidation of many of the NetBIOS functions into a single port (445), this port is critical to many Windows 2000/XP operations. It’s imperative that access to this port is limited to trusted hosts and/or networks.
Well, that about sums it up. The goal here was to either refresh or bring up to speed anyone who deals with Windows networking on a daily basis. In the event that I’ve made an error, or you’d just like to comment, please feel free to contact me at daniel@dmiessler.com.
[Daniel Miessler, CISSP, GSEC]
Monday, May 11, 2009
For Sale
WS-C4506 Package
(1) Cisco 4006 (WS-4006) Chassis
(1) WS-X4013 Sup Engine
(5) WS-X4148-RJ Switch Blades
(4) Cisco Power Patch Panels (WS-PWR-Panel) -96 Ports per panel
(1) Cisco 4006 (WS-4006) Chassis
(1) WS-X4013 Sup Engine
(5) WS-X4148-RJ Switch Blades
(4) Cisco Power Patch Panels (WS-PWR-Panel) -96 Ports per panel
Thursday, April 16, 2009
EqualLogic Replication
Well I finally have run into a situation that I couldn't explain very well until some research was performed about my EqualLogic SAN. Currently we have two members at our main site with an array offsite setup as a replication partner. Had an issue recently where we lost connectivity to our switches due to some power problems, the SAN went down, VM's..ugh. ..it was a messy 30 minutes or so.
Anywho..I was asked..well why didn't our SAN at our DR site pickup and start taking on the load..why didn't the vm's out at the DR site just start working..It's complicated.
For one, we don't have that piece of VMware setup and configured. BUT...why isn't my replication partner just taking on the data as it changes at the primary site. "We don't want a backup..we want failover", I was told. Replication doesn't work that way with Equallogic. It has to be configured and replication times have to be scheduled. I explained to my boss because of the way we have replication configured...if we must revert to the data at our DR site..it's only going to be recent to my last replica that was performed AND there is some manual intervention. You have to set the volumes online. Ok..so I had my volume collections scheduled to replicate every four hours. I assumed what needed to change and I called Dell/EqualLogic to confirm. Basically, to get a near copy I would have to adjust my replication schedule..the closest it lets you configure is every five minutes. The good thing is I'm not replicating the entire volume..only the changes so it's minimal. And..rather than me pound my circuit all at once for a few hours a day..I'm gently tapping it all day.
Anywho..I was asked..well why didn't our SAN at our DR site pickup and start taking on the load..why didn't the vm's out at the DR site just start working..It's complicated.
For one, we don't have that piece of VMware setup and configured. BUT...why isn't my replication partner just taking on the data as it changes at the primary site. "We don't want a backup..we want failover", I was told. Replication doesn't work that way with Equallogic. It has to be configured and replication times have to be scheduled. I explained to my boss because of the way we have replication configured...if we must revert to the data at our DR site..it's only going to be recent to my last replica that was performed AND there is some manual intervention. You have to set the volumes online. Ok..so I had my volume collections scheduled to replicate every four hours. I assumed what needed to change and I called Dell/EqualLogic to confirm. Basically, to get a near copy I would have to adjust my replication schedule..the closest it lets you configure is every five minutes. The good thing is I'm not replicating the entire volume..only the changes so it's minimal. And..rather than me pound my circuit all at once for a few hours a day..I'm gently tapping it all day.
Hello Everybody, Everybody Hello
Life has changed recently, the weather is getting nicer, vacations are being planned, I got EV tickets for an upcoming show, work is swell, the wifey is excellent, and now is a good time to buy a house.
St. Patrick's day now has some meaning for me..my little girl was born and Guinness for all. Of course all I've been drinking lately is coffee. Late nights, and early morning hours.
I suppose I just wanted to say hi and wish well everyone the same wellness that has landed on me recently. Cheers.
St. Patrick's day now has some meaning for me..my little girl was born and Guinness for all. Of course all I've been drinking lately is coffee. Late nights, and early morning hours.
I suppose I just wanted to say hi and wish well everyone the same wellness that has landed on me recently. Cheers.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Hello World
I'm sitting here..waiting patiently for a drive to finishing defragging. How ridiculous. 100% it says..for the last hour.
Things have been busy. Baby on the way, another one that doesn't feel like sleeping, and one that thinks she's the smartest thing since Einstein.
I watched Obama last night and he certainly can inspire. Bush would have never been able to give a speech like that. I'm excited about the next four years, hardships included..things will get better. Asked the other day how my job is going, any effect due to the economy.."not directly", I said. Stories on the news, informative NPR interviews make the world sound like it's collapsing. My 401k has taken a dump, home has probably lost a little value...things are on sale.
The dog has been sick with Uveitis, a bad thyroid, and rocky mountain spotted fever. Several different medicines, eyedrops, 2x a day for this, 3x a day for that. But he's getting better, medications have decreased and he's not so mopey any longer.
Watch out she tells me..Wifey is spooning ice cream and I'm trying not to get busted in the mouth. Don't mess with a prego woman and her ice cream.
The VMware project at work has been going very well. Longer than expected due to timing and maintenance windows but great. Worth every penny. If your an IT shop, do yourself a favor - spend money and buy VMware.
Who knew the guy from Lost is on American Idol?
Things have been busy. Baby on the way, another one that doesn't feel like sleeping, and one that thinks she's the smartest thing since Einstein.
I watched Obama last night and he certainly can inspire. Bush would have never been able to give a speech like that. I'm excited about the next four years, hardships included..things will get better. Asked the other day how my job is going, any effect due to the economy.."not directly", I said. Stories on the news, informative NPR interviews make the world sound like it's collapsing. My 401k has taken a dump, home has probably lost a little value...things are on sale.
The dog has been sick with Uveitis, a bad thyroid, and rocky mountain spotted fever. Several different medicines, eyedrops, 2x a day for this, 3x a day for that. But he's getting better, medications have decreased and he's not so mopey any longer.
Watch out she tells me..Wifey is spooning ice cream and I'm trying not to get busted in the mouth. Don't mess with a prego woman and her ice cream.
The VMware project at work has been going very well. Longer than expected due to timing and maintenance windows but great. Worth every penny. If your an IT shop, do yourself a favor - spend money and buy VMware.
Who knew the guy from Lost is on American Idol?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
EqualLogic Firmware 4.0.5
Here is whats new in EqualLogic firmware release 4.0.5 released in Jan 09.
Supported platforms -
PS5000E, PS5000X, PS5000XV, PS5500E, PS3000, and PS50E-PS400E
* Support for PS5500E systems, a new 4U 48 drive SATA system
* New Software Features and enhancements
o Replication enhancements including failback scenarios, and performance improvement in multi-network configurations
o IPV6 Network Support for iSCSI traffic
o Ability to designate an array network port as management-only network interface
o Support for 512 iSCSI connections per pool, up to 2048 iSCSI connections per PS Series group
o Manual transfer utility supports manual replication transfers for any replication operation, not just the first replication on a volume
o Thin provisioning is used for all replicas in replication operations
o Newly created volumes and snapshots default to allow a single iSCSI IQN to connect at a time
* Improvements in controller restart
* Improvement to firmware update procedure
Supported platforms -
PS5000E, PS5000X, PS5000XV, PS5500E, PS3000, and PS50E-PS400E
* Support for PS5500E systems, a new 4U 48 drive SATA system
* New Software Features and enhancements
o Replication enhancements including failback scenarios, and performance improvement in multi-network configurations
o IPV6 Network Support for iSCSI traffic
o Ability to designate an array network port as management-only network interface
o Support for 512 iSCSI connections per pool, up to 2048 iSCSI connections per PS Series group
o Manual transfer utility supports manual replication transfers for any replication operation, not just the first replication on a volume
o Thin provisioning is used for all replicas in replication operations
o Newly created volumes and snapshots default to allow a single iSCSI IQN to connect at a time
* Improvements in controller restart
* Improvement to firmware update procedure
Monday, February 2, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
And the Grammy goes to - Eddie Vedder
Perhaps? good luck Ed. You may not give a damn...but we still pull for you. (update 2/8...Ed lost to John Mayer...wtf?)
That's right, Ed is up for a Grammy for "Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance" for his song "Rise" off of the Into the Wild soundtrack. You can listen to samples of the soundtrack here.
And the nominees are -
Category 15
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Gravity
John Mayer
Track from: Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles
[Columbia]
* I Saw Her Standing There
Paul McCartney
Track from: Amoeba's Secret
[Hear Music/MPL Communications Ltd.]
* Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: Magic
[Columbia]
* Rise
Eddie Vedder
[J Records]
* No Hidden Path
Neil Young
Track from: Chrome Dreams II
[Reprise]
That's right, Ed is up for a Grammy for "Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance" for his song "Rise" off of the Into the Wild soundtrack. You can listen to samples of the soundtrack here.
And the nominees are -
Category 15
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Gravity
John Mayer
Track from: Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles
[Columbia]
* I Saw Her Standing There
Paul McCartney
Track from: Amoeba's Secret
[Hear Music/MPL Communications Ltd.]
* Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: Magic
[Columbia]
* Rise
Eddie Vedder
[J Records]
* No Hidden Path
Neil Young
Track from: Chrome Dreams II
[Reprise]
Financial Fitness
NASA Federal Credit Union offers excellent financial advise and support for managing your finances. Take for example their "Balance Financial Fitness Plan".
NASA Federal Credit Union states that "BALANCE is a financial education and counseling service committed to helping individuals and families take control of their finances and reach their goals. BALANCE provides Financial Counseling You Can Trust.".
They offer tools and forms on their website such as a Money Management Planner, Fritter Finder and Financial Calculators.
"NASA Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned entirely by its members and operated for the benefit of all who belong.
Chartered in 1949, NASA Federal Credit Union serves the diverse needs of more than 72,000 members worldwide from a variety of professional organizations with a full array of financial services and the strength of about $978 million in assets.".
NASA Federal Credit Union states that "BALANCE is a financial education and counseling service committed to helping individuals and families take control of their finances and reach their goals. BALANCE provides Financial Counseling You Can Trust.".
They offer tools and forms on their website such as a Money Management Planner, Fritter Finder and Financial Calculators.
"NASA Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned entirely by its members and operated for the benefit of all who belong.
Chartered in 1949, NASA Federal Credit Union serves the diverse needs of more than 72,000 members worldwide from a variety of professional organizations with a full array of financial services and the strength of about $978 million in assets.".
IT Communication
In thinking about a lot of the ways that IT Departments interact with each other, I found this excellent article on IT Communication. I don't exactly agree with all the points but there are many good takeaways. How productive is your IT department?
Article
..."Well, as you say, it isn't just IT, it's in general knowledge work. And the symptom that I observe is that in an age in which there's kind of a mantra, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. We have this notion that the 21st century is one in which we either speed up or perish."
..."What we can't do is sit frozen in endless meetings and e-mails and process and documentation, because that means we don't get anything done, so we need to change the underlying design philosophy of the organization from safety to speed."
..."If you're sitting in a meeting with 20 people, and many of them are doing e-mails or IMing, you need to stop thinking about whatever the subject of that meeting is and think about what the hell are we doing here?"
Article
..."Well, as you say, it isn't just IT, it's in general knowledge work. And the symptom that I observe is that in an age in which there's kind of a mantra, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. We have this notion that the 21st century is one in which we either speed up or perish."
..."What we can't do is sit frozen in endless meetings and e-mails and process and documentation, because that means we don't get anything done, so we need to change the underlying design philosophy of the organization from safety to speed."
..."If you're sitting in a meeting with 20 people, and many of them are doing e-mails or IMing, you need to stop thinking about whatever the subject of that meeting is and think about what the hell are we doing here?"
Cisco's Nexus 5020
Just got my first Google Alert...
PSHS - WVC (ILOILO) Computer Science Department: Cisco and Dell ...
By CS Pisay ILOILO
Dell will add Cisco's Nexus 5020 switches that support both 10 Gigabit
Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet to its Power Edge server and
EqualLogic, PowerVault, and Dell/EMC storage offerings. Dell has also
qualified Cisco's ...
Link
PSHS - WVC (ILOILO) Computer...
Dell aims to simplify de-duplication « My blog news
According to Darren PowerVault and EqualLogic, as well Thomas, vice
president of Dell's as third-part arrays from one of storage business, his
company is its major storage partners, EMC, "going to do de-dupe
differently". to work ...
My blog news
http://latestnewsx.com
NetApp - The Missing Shade of Blue: Silence Isn't Golden
3PAR · Benchmarks · Competitive · Dell/EqualLogic · EMC · Film ·
General · HP · Impossible Claims · Intelligence · Leadership · MAD
blog · Software · Space · Sun · Theory · Trends · Turing Test ·
VMware · Web2.0 ...
NetApp - The Missing Shade of Blue
PSHS - WVC (ILOILO) Computer Science Department: Cisco and Dell ...
By CS Pisay ILOILO
Dell will add Cisco's Nexus 5020 switches that support both 10 Gigabit
Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet to its Power Edge server and
EqualLogic, PowerVault, and Dell/EMC storage offerings. Dell has also
qualified Cisco's ...
Link
PSHS - WVC (ILOILO) Computer...
Dell aims to simplify de-duplication « My blog news
According to Darren PowerVault and EqualLogic, as well Thomas, vice
president of Dell's as third-part arrays from one of storage business, his
company is its major storage partners, EMC, "going to do de-dupe
differently". to work ...
My blog news
http://latestnewsx.com
NetApp - The Missing Shade of Blue: Silence Isn't Golden
3PAR · Benchmarks · Competitive · Dell/EqualLogic · EMC · Film ·
General · HP · Impossible Claims · Intelligence · Leadership · MAD
blog · Software · Space · Sun · Theory · Trends · Turing Test ·
VMware · Web2.0 ...
NetApp - The Missing Shade of Blue
Google Alerts
So I just discovered Google Alerts. It's an alerting system used for sending news alerts about the topic of your liking to an email address. The alerting can be configured to send alerts once a day or as it happens for example. Even the source of the news can be selected. Get your alerts from other blogs, video, web, groups. Check it out for your self. I thought it might be a good way to post things as...well thing's happen.
Google Alerts.
...update - just got my first Google Alert. See new post.
Google Alerts.
...update - just got my first Google Alert. See new post.
Got Pukes?
Getting thrown up on is not one of my all time pastimes. My 1 1/2 year old seems to think otherwise. It was messy, and warm. Dinner didn't go so good and the 1st explosion came from the high chair. My wife is scrambling at this point. We get him out and I am holding him, facing me on my lap. "Get the paper towels, more paper towels"... within several seconds explosion number two and three came. Not thee 'number two', just the second burst of warm, think and wet vomit. The poor kid has no idea what's going on. "More paper towels!"... my wife is gagging. It's bad. Well, we stripped him down and stuck him in the tub. My wife is a pro. I think I got the worst of it, but she cleaned us all up.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Field Recorders Collective
I came across an NPR program the the other day discussing an organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and releasing some never before heard music distributed amongst friends and collectors. They are the Field Recorders Collective.
The music is primarily bluegrass and string bands. Sound never heard from some artists never heard of. Homemade recordings, improvs brought together and remastered from the collectors themselves and "remastered" using some basic home computer software.
You can listen to the NPR broadcast here.
The music is primarily bluegrass and string bands. Sound never heard from some artists never heard of. Homemade recordings, improvs brought together and remastered from the collectors themselves and "remastered" using some basic home computer software.
You can listen to the NPR broadcast here.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
EqualLogic Demos
Searching for a storage vendor?
EqualLogic has some good product demonstrations for different technologies. Check them out here.
EqualLogic has some good product demonstrations for different technologies. Check them out here.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Today's Events - Obama.
If your standing out in the cold in DC...stay warm. Your in for a long day. I will sit in the warmth of my home, with coffee and some eggs that I just made.
For those are trying to figure out where Obama is...his motorcade is just now pulling up to the White House. Coffee is planned with the Bush's, Cheney's and Obama's.
Hold tight...I'll let you all know when he leaves. Cheney is in a wheel chair. He's pulled a muscle. hmmm.
Michelle just gave Laura a package..someone just said.."i bet it's not tupperware".
.... Muhammad Ali is there getting his seat. 10:08am
.... Magic Johnson is there.
.... Steven Spielberg (vip???)
.... Dustin Hoffman (vip????)
.... Captain "Sully" Sullenberger
.... John Cusack
Not sure if I agree with thing's being Hollywood'd up.
Schedule - Per whatever I'm watching.
10:55 - Reaches Capitol
11:25 - Introduced at Capitol
11:45 - VP takes oath
11:56 - Obama takes oath
12:01 - Address
And apparently...if I heard correctly, it takes a lot of "intestinal will" to be at the inauguration.
Coffee is over..everyone is heading out. 10:45am
Motorcade is in route. 10:50am
Motorcade has arrived. Everyone getting out. 11:02
Hail to the Chief to be played when Bush takes the stand for the last time. Again, to be played for Obama.
Bush is making his way through the corridor... 11:33am
Wow..didn't know this..the Bible used for the swearing in hasn't been used since Lincoln used it last.
Obama didn't flubb the oath. Chief Justice Roberts goofed it.
For those are trying to figure out where Obama is...his motorcade is just now pulling up to the White House. Coffee is planned with the Bush's, Cheney's and Obama's.
Hold tight...I'll let you all know when he leaves. Cheney is in a wheel chair. He's pulled a muscle. hmmm.
Michelle just gave Laura a package..someone just said.."i bet it's not tupperware".
.... Muhammad Ali is there getting his seat. 10:08am
.... Magic Johnson is there.
.... Steven Spielberg (vip???)
.... Dustin Hoffman (vip????)
.... Captain "Sully" Sullenberger
.... John Cusack
Not sure if I agree with thing's being Hollywood'd up.
Schedule - Per whatever I'm watching.
10:55 - Reaches Capitol
11:25 - Introduced at Capitol
11:45 - VP takes oath
11:56 - Obama takes oath
12:01 - Address
And apparently...if I heard correctly, it takes a lot of "intestinal will" to be at the inauguration.
Coffee is over..everyone is heading out. 10:45am
Motorcade is in route. 10:50am
Motorcade has arrived. Everyone getting out. 11:02
Hail to the Chief to be played when Bush takes the stand for the last time. Again, to be played for Obama.
Bush is making his way through the corridor... 11:33am
Wow..didn't know this..the Bible used for the swearing in hasn't been used since Lincoln used it last.
Obama didn't flubb the oath. Chief Justice Roberts goofed it.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
SQL Convert to a VM
Just wanted to join the list of growing users who are using SQL 2005 as a virtual machine. It was actually an easy conversion. Unfortunately, we had to run the p2v tool, due to some 3rd party db apps that were installed on the server. The db's were already on the SAN and with a small OS footprint, I was able to clean the server up as much as possible before running the p2v tool. Not ideal, but I was happy with it.
Originally a Windows 2000 server running SQL 2000 Standard, our upgrade consisted of an OS and SQL upgrade. Storage is Dell/Equallogic iSCSI - see previous posts. So a quick recap -
Stopped all SQL jobs, activity, services.
Backup server..SAN snap of db's.
Run physical to virtual tool on SQL server.
Shutdown 'old' physical machine.
Power on vm, verify all vm settings.
Snapshot of VM.
Upgrade OS from 2000 to 2003.
Snapshot of VM
Upgrade SQL 2000 to 2005, install SQL SP3
SAN snap of db's.
Snap of VM.
Upgrade databases from 80 Compatibility mode to 90 Compatibility mode.
Verify and test.
Our db environment for this server is about 80-100gb of data, nothing outrageous. The new vm is running great. We'll see how this week goes. Thanks VMWare and Dell/EqualLogic. I'm now one less old physical machine, with new redundancy and better performance. Exchange should be fun.
Originally a Windows 2000 server running SQL 2000 Standard, our upgrade consisted of an OS and SQL upgrade. Storage is Dell/Equallogic iSCSI - see previous posts. So a quick recap -
Stopped all SQL jobs, activity, services.
Backup server..SAN snap of db's.
Run physical to virtual tool on SQL server.
Shutdown 'old' physical machine.
Power on vm, verify all vm settings.
Snapshot of VM.
Upgrade OS from 2000 to 2003.
Snapshot of VM
Upgrade SQL 2000 to 2005, install SQL SP3
SAN snap of db's.
Snap of VM.
Upgrade databases from 80 Compatibility mode to 90 Compatibility mode.
Verify and test.
Our db environment for this server is about 80-100gb of data, nothing outrageous. The new vm is running great. We'll see how this week goes. Thanks VMWare and Dell/EqualLogic. I'm now one less old physical machine, with new redundancy and better performance. Exchange should be fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)